Sarah Lawrence and Mayapple Host Summer Workshop—The Art of Protest: Art and Scholarship as Political Resistance

March 30, 2018 Bronxville, NY – Singer-songwriter Dar Williams will join a lineup of artists and scholars for a one-day workshop at Sarah Lawrence College exploring the role of art in activism.

Sarah Lawrence and the Mayapple Center for the Arts and Humanities will offer The Art of Protest: Art and Scholarship as Political Resistance on June 16, 2018 from 10 a.m.- 3:30 p.m., featuring a panel discussion on art activism and political resistance with Dar Williams, Mahogany L. Browne, Felix Endara, David Birkin and Nicolaus Mills. The panel will be moderated by Michelle Slater, President of the Mayapple Center for the Artsand Humanities.

The event is a preview of a 10-day, residential workshop on art as political resistance planned for June 2019 at Sarah Lawrence College.

“Artists and scholars have long been at the forefront of protest movements in the United States and around the world. Whether by direct action or through their work, they have been instrumental in calling out injustice, fighting for the rights of marginalized groups, and drawing attention to problems both local and global in scale. In these fraught political times, the necessity of art that responds to injustice is never more urgent,’’ said Michelle Slater.

The program will include lunch to be followed by breakout sessions led by presenters who will focus on their fields of expertise including:

Music – Creating Communities as Social Capital through Music: Leader: Dar Williams. Williams is an American singer-songwriter specializing in pop folk.

Journalism –Crafting a Successful Political Op-ed Piece: Nicolaus Mills, professor of American studies at Sarah Lawrence College and author of Winning the Peace: The Marshall Plan and America’s Coming of Age as a Superpower (2008).

Visual Arts –What’s Your Story? Storytelling Case Study: Trans Narratives. Leader: David Birkin. David Birkin is an artist based in New York. Born in London, he studied anthropology at Oxford University, fine art at the Slade, and was a fellow of the Art & Law Program, and the Independent Study Program at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Film and Television – Telling transgender narratives through theatre and film. Leader: Felix Endara. Born in Ecuador, Endara is a transgender, New York-based independent filmmaker, programmer, and arts administrator whose films have screened at festivals including Berlin, Frameline, Outfest, NewFest, DOC NYC, and Mill Valley.

The day will conclude with a group discussion on collaboration among artists/artistic disciplines in the service of activism and steps for moving forward.

Admission is $25 and includes lunch (vegan and vegetarian options available) Register online

About Sarah Lawrence College

Founded in 1926, Sarah Lawrence College is a prestigious, coeducational liberal arts college. Consistently ranked among the leading liberal arts colleges in the country, Sarah Lawrence is known for its pioneering approach to education, for its long history of impassioned, intellectual engagement, and for its vibrant, successful alumni. For more information, please visit www.sarahlawrence.edu.

About Mayapple Center for Arts and Humanities

The Mayapple Center in Stamford, Connecticut offers programs in a variety of categories that cultivate imagination through artistic and intellectual cross-pollination in a distinctly 21st century climate. Mayapple creates an atmosphere where artists and scholars of exceptional stature come to teach and collaborate with small groups of dedicated, like-minded participants.